fuller



(No Model.)

H. F. FULLER. AGETYLBNE GAS GENERATOR.

No. 560,405. f Patented May 19, 1896.

ANDREW EGIANAM. PHOTD-UIHDWASHINGIOMfDL. Y

UNITE STATES I PATENT Fries,

HENRY FULLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE \VALMSLEY, FULLER &COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ACETYLEN E-GAS 'e EN ERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,405, dated May 19,1896.

Application filed December 17, 1895. Serial No. 572,396. (No model.)

To (0% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. FULLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of .Cook and State .of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Generators, of whichthefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of generators in which theLgas isproduced by causing materials whichhave a chemical affinity to contactand by such contact effect the desired chemical combination; and whilemy invention may be employed in the manufacture of gases of variouskinds and for various purposes it is intended more especially as agenerator for use in the production 7 of acetylene gas by causingcalcium carbide in the solid state to contact with water.

My object is to provide a generator of a construction adapting it forthe production more especially of acetylene gas, and which will operateautomatically to supply the gas as fast as but no faster than requiredand at an approximate predetermined pressure.

A generator constructed in accordance with my invention may be employedas a supplying means for a number of gas-burners, or may be of a sizerendering it readily portable and provided with a burner to operate as ahand-lamp, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which shows avertical central section of such a construction.

A is a preferably cylindrical vessel or lampbody open at the top,provided with abase i and having a handle t. Fitting into the top of thevessel A is a structure comprising a top plate 3, annular receptacle orchamber 1', and central downward-extending part q, all in rigidrelation. The part q consistsof a cylindrical neck g, which forms theinner annular wall of the chamber 0' and is fastened to the top plate 5around a central preferably threaded opening 8 in the latter. Below thechamber 1" the neckportion q is expanded and forms the shell or annularwall (1 of a chamber g which wall extends nearly to the base If and atits lower end portion is close to but out of contact with the wall ofthe vessel A. The construction'of the part q is such that betweenits;lower end portion and the wall of the vessel A is a narrow annularchanforms an annular receptacle m above the plate a and an annular spaceor inverted receptacle m below the said plate. Fitting and slidingvertically in the guide-cylinder n is a cup or receptacle Z, having acylindricaT Wall Z of thin sheet material and a base Z either perforatedor formed of mesh-wire to afford a sieve. The cup Z is fastened upon andsupported by a .rod 7c,'which extends downward therefrom around the baseof the part q and thence upward through a tube r,which passes throughthe chamber 1" and through an opening s in the top 5. The upper endportion of the rod is provided with teeth forming a rack 70', engagingthe top plate at one edge of the opening s and held normally in suchengagement by a finger-spring 5 Pressure of the rod at its upper endportion against the resistance of the spring .9 will free the rack fromengagement with the top plate and permit it to be raised and lowered toraise and lower the cup Z in the guide-cylinder a.

Extending vertically through the chamber r is a tube 13?, providedtoward its lower end portion Withbpenings r into the said chamher. Inthe tube r is a piston-plug r. The top portion of the tube 7- which"extends above the plate 8, is cut away to form a cam r and on the plug ris a pin 7-, which rests upon the cam-surface r and supports the plug.Turning of theplug 7' will cause its pin 0" to descend upon the cam,whereby the lower endportion of the plug will descend across theopenings 1 3 and close the latter. Turning of the plug iii'the oppositedirection will cause it to rise upon the cam-surface and clear theopenings r When the device is to be employed as a lamp, as shown, a tube2', having a valve i, may be secured at its lower end in theopening sand provided at its upper end with a burner 2' The entire structure,consisting of the top plate 3, annular chamber r, and part q, maybelifted out of the vessel A, and the outer annular surface of the chamber0 fits closely against the wall of the vessel A, the whole structurebeing supported by the top plate.

In operation the said structure is lifted out of the vessel A and therod pushed downward to free the receptacle l from the guidecylinder at.The said receptacle is filled with calcium carbide, preferably in lumpyor granular form, and the cup then adjusted in the guide-cylinder andraised according to a scale m on the rod 7t until the sieve Z is at adesired height above the lower end of the guide-cylinder.

The structure is then placed in the vessel, the plug 0' removed, and thevessel filled to, say, the level 00 with water.

As the water rises to the sieve Z it contacts with the calcium carbidein the vessel Z, causing the rapid production of acetylene gas, whichrises into the chamber (1 fills the latter, and then by exerting itspressure in a downward direction through the sieve against the waterforces the latter downward against the resistance of the pressure of thewater column in 1 the chamber 1), thus practically stopping furthergeneration of the gas and holding the same under the pressure of thesaid water 1 column. On opening the cock 2" gas, under the pressurestated, will escape and may be ignited at the burner 73 As the gasescapes and pressure in the chamber Q3 is reduced the water will againrise to the sieve, more gas will be generated, and the operationdescribed repeated.

The lower end portion of a the shell (1 should extend so far down as toi be always sufficiently below the sieve Z in the adjustment of thelatter to prevent gas from escaping to the chamber 1) and vent-opcning-.2 b the guide-cylinder n is a solid ring, and the lower end portion ofthe cylinder is provided with one or more recesses n atone point is anopening a, from which a Fora short distance below the plate at In theplate a a tube nf may extend downward to the plane of i the upper endsof the notches or recesses 22 The space m between the lower end of thetube a and plate a may thus operate as a gasometer or equalizer, whichis very useful in a'device of this nature. The annular receptacle onabout the cup 1 may be initially provided with a small amount of calciumcarbide, which will operate as an absorbent and tend to abstract fromthe gas in the chamber q any moisture carried thereby. Inthe event thatwater should at any time accumulate in the annular vessel on it willdrain through the opening 01, and tube 01 the calciu 1n "carbide,becoming spongy, should swell beyond the capacity of the vessel Z, thesurplus material will drop therefrom into the If in operation annularvessel m, and, through absorption of moisture froin'the chamber g orrise of water through the tube n, also gradually generate acetylene gas.

Assuming that the water column in the? chamber 1) extends to the lineso, when the a water contacts with the carbide on the sieve Z a certainpressure will be exerted against the gas generated, which pressure willincrease gradually as increased generation of gas raises the watercolumn, and the degree of compression of the gas in the chamber (1 maybe increased by lowering the vessel Z in the guide-cylinder n anddiminished by raising the vessel. If no means are provided formaintaining a uniform water column in the chamber 19, and the water-linein the vessel A is lowered by use of the water in the generation of gas,the gas-pressure may be increased from time to time in the chamber (1 bypushing down the rod 70 to lower the vessel Z.

Then the sieve Z is in a plane above the recesses 02 the pressure of thegas in the chamber will be normally exerted against an area bounded bythe guide-cylinder wall at, and the rise and fall of the water in saidarea under variations of gas-pressure will produce but little variationin the water-line 5c, and therefore little change in the pressure of thewater column. \Vhen the gas generates so rapidly as to force the waterbelow the tops of the recesses M, the gas will exert itself against amuch larger area of water and raise the water column more rapidly,causing a rapid increase of water-pressure. This all tends to maintain auniform standard of gas pressure in the chamber 1 and to prevent the tooready generation of gas.

In the event that through splashing of the water against the sieve incarrying the lamp about, or from any other cause, gas should begenerated much more rapidly than is desired the pressure of the gas fromthe chamber q against the water below the sieve will cause the wholestructure to rise in the vessel A, and thus operate as an effectivesafeguard against explosion.

As a means for maintaining the water-level at m the chamber 4' may befilled with water and the plug 0' raised to the position shown in thefigure, whereby as fast as water is consumed in the formation of gas itwill be supplied through the openings 0' \Vhile I have shown anddescribed my im- A provements in connectipn with an acetylene lamp, itmay be of :a much larger size than would be practicable to render itportable, and a pipe leading to any number of burners may be connectedto the opening 8'. My im provements may also be found desirable for usein generating gas other than acetylene. lVhile I have shown anddescribed my improvements as I prefer to provide thennthey may bemodified in the matter of details without departing from the spirit ofmy invention as defined by the claim.

hat I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a generator for the production of gas from two bodies ofchemically-coacting ma terials, one of which is solid and the otherliquid, a vessel for the liquid, a shell supported in said vessel andcontaining a gaschamber having an outlet at its upper end portion andopening at its lower end into the vessel, a circumferentialinward-extending plate in the shell above the lower end thereof, aguide-sleeve secured to and extending below the said plate to a planeabove the lower end of the shell and forming with the shell a gas-spaceabout the said sleeve, and a receptacle for the solid material having aperforate lower portion and supported in said guide-sleeve, a spacebetween the shell and side wall of the vessel forming a chamber for aliquid column, whereby the gas generated by the contact of the materialspasses through the solid material as generated and fills the chamber andexert-s downward pressure, through the body of solid material, againstthe liquid to separate the said materials against the resistance of theliquid column and check the generation of gas, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

\ HENRY F. FULLER. In presence of-- M. J. Fnosr, J. H. LEE.

